Christian Father, 29, Gunned Down by Muslims in Pakistan

Catholic was sole provider for family with four children.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A Catholic father of four children was gunned down by Muslim neighbors last week after he objected to their harassment of Christians in the area, his family said. Marshall Masih of the Patiala House area in Lahore was the sole breadwinner for his elderly parents, wife and four […]

Pakistan among Worst Violators of Religious Freedom, US Body Says

USCIRF again recommends designation as ‘Country of Particular Concern.’

LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) again has recommended that the State Department designate Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), citing the country’s blasphemy laws as a prime source religious freedom violations. The U.S. State Department does not accept all USCIRF recommendations in its […]

Christian Girl, 14, Taken for Sham Conversion/Marriage in Pakistan

Neighborhood butcher, 27, arranged kidnapping, father told.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Another Christian girl in Pakistan, this one 14 years old, has fallen victim to forced conversion/marriage by a Muslim kidnapper, sources said. Khalid Masih, a 48-year-old Catholic sanitation worker in Islamabad, said that a butcher in his neighborhood, Haider Ali, took his daughter Alina Khalid from their home in […]

Christian Sentenced to Death under Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law

Kiln worker convicted without evidence, attorney says.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Saturday (June 29) handed the death sentence to a Christian for allegedly sharing a “blasphemous” video on a social media platform despite lack of evidence, his attorney said. Sahiwal District Anti-Terrorism Judge Ziaullah Khan delivered the sentence to 27-year-old Ehsaan (nickname “Shan”) […]

Shattered Widow of Christian Lynched in Pakistan Dies

Trauma, depression follow killing incited by false blasphemy accusation.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Not a day passed when Allah Rakhi Bibi would not cry for her husband Nazeer Masih Gill, beaten to death at 74 by a Muslim mob on a false blasphemy accusation a month ago. On Friday (June 21), the grieving widow could bear the suffering no longer, and […]

Blasphemy Law Wielded against Christian in Pakistan

Relatives misuse statute in personal dispute, Christian leader says.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Police in Pakistan on Sunday (June 23) arrested a Christian under blasphemy laws as part of his siblings’ effort to retaliate against him over a property dispute, sources said. The arrest came the same day a key government minister admitted on the floor of the National Assembly that […]

Christian in Pakistan Jailed for Stepping on Papers in Street

Rickshaw driver was trying to protect his feet from hot road.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A Catholic has been jailed under blasphemy charges since April 27 in Lahore, Pakistan for inadvertently stepping out of his rickshaw onto some papers said to be pages of the Quran, sources said. Dennis Albert, a 35-year-old rickshaw driver, was booked under one section of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws […]

Bail Granted to Suspects in Killing of Christian in Pakistan

Police deliberately obtain statements from false witnesses, attorney says.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Due to sloppy police investigation and pressure from an Islamist extremist party, a judge last week granted bail to at least 52 Muslims accused of killing a Christian man over a false blasphemy accusation, sources said. Special Judge Anti-Terrorism Court Sargodha Muhammad Abbas on Thursday (June 13), granted […]

Five Christian Sanitation Workers Die in Pakistan

Relatives stage protest over lack of safety provisions.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Five Christian sanitation workers in Pakistan have died since Tuesday (June 11) from inhaling toxic gases, highlighting how they are forced to work without proper safety equipment, sources said. Irfan Masih, Ratan Masih and Babar Masih succumbed on Wednesday (June 12) to the poisonous gases while cleaning […]

Abducted Young Mother in Pakistan Refuses Forced Conversion

Suspects warn family to stop efforts to prosecute.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A young Catholic mother’s eyes welled up with tears and her hands shook as she recalled how a Muslim in Pakistan kidnapped her and tried to force her to convert to Islam and marry him. A 20-year-old mother of a 3-year-old girl and an 18-month old boy in […]